justice john paul stevens administered the oath in the east room of the white house. tomorrow is the start of the new term of the supreme court and it's shaping up to be an important one for civil rights. toor more we turn to nbc news justice correspondent, pete williams. >> this supreme court term may be one of the most important in decades for civil rights. with the potential for blockbuster decisions on race and same-sex marriage. the court will examine the widespread practice of considering the race of students who apply for college. the case brought by a white high school senior, abigail fisher who said affirmative action kept her out of the university of texas. >> i always thought from the time i was a little girl that any kind of discrimination was wrong and for an institution of higher learning to act this way makes no sense to me. >> the university says it considers race as one factor in administrations to achieve a racially diverse campus. >> one of the greatest advantages of having a diverse student environment is it breaks down stereotypes and promotes cro